The Israeli military launched airstrikes on Iran on Monday after Iran fired missiles at northern Israel, marking the first direct exchange between the two countries since a ceasefire on 8 April. The strikes have heightened fears of a return to full-scale regional war in the Middle East.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels also fired at Israel and announced a ban on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, further escalating tensions. The Israeli strikes appeared to defy US President Donald Trump, who had urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate. Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'Israel and Iran must immediately stop shooting.'
Iranian officials rejected suggestions that Netanyahu acted without US approval. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said: 'No one believes that the Zionist regime would carry out any action without prior coordination and cooperation with the United States.' The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the strikes.
Israel's attacks included a strike on an Iranian petrochemical complex and the dismantling of Iranian defence systems. Iranian state television reported explosions in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz and Tehran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles, while the IRGC targeted two Israeli military bases in Operation Nasr.
A senior US official said Trump had called Netanyahu to urge restraint, claiming the president 'got Bibi to hold off for the time being'. Trump told the Financial Times before the strikes that he called 'all the shots', not Netanyahu.
The exchange threatens to derail peace talks between Iran and the US, which Trump claimed could end in a deal within days. Iranian negotiators face pressure from hardliners to abandon the talks, while others seek tighter terms.
